House IRS hearing ends in shouting match

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Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, cuts ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, off during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

A House committee hearing looking into the Internal Revenue Service’s alleged targeting of conservative groups ended Wednesday in a shouting match between the ranking Republican and Democrat on the panel, a sign election-year tension is building in the nation’s capital.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican of California, gathered to hear from a former IRS official, Lois Lerner.

There had been a back-and-forth in the press over the past three days over whether Lerner had agreed to testify. She had previously invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to speak about the matter. Lerner resigned last year from her post as the IRS’s director of tax-exempt organizations.

At this morning’s hearing, Lerner did indeed refuse to testify.

Issa quickly moved to end the hearing, which sparked the strong objection of Cummings.

“You cannot just have a one-sided investigation. There is absolutely something wrong with that,” Cummings barked to Issa.

“I gave you the opportunity to ask questions, you had no questions,” Issa said.

“Mr. Chairman, what are you hiding,” Cummings said as Issa strode out of the room.

Republicans allege that the IRS targeted Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations trying to get tax-exempt status.

Democrats have said that there was “gross mismanagement” at the IRS, but no evidence of a political conspiracy. They say that progressive groups were also targeted.

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